All posts by peter

road national champs – elite men

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it was an awesome experience this year at the nationals.  the atmosphere was hard to describe and the amount of people all over the hill was amazing.  some groups were making a day of it and the rapha tent had a dj pumping out the tunes.  there were 2 large (out of a semi-trailer) screens showing the race as well as speakers all the way up the hill.  all the big names were out in force and it was easy enough to get close to them during the race.  i certainly recommend this to anyone who hasn’t seen a big name race before.

road national champs – elite & u23 women

ride routes 7th & 8th jan

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sorry, not much time for social commentary today.  have a good ride.

ride routes – as shown below.

saturday 7th january

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 41.73km (canning vale reverse)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.47km (south st)

sunday 8th january

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 70.93km (kahuna)

long – spr sunday 87.72km (kahuna & peet & patterson)

G’day from Lauren Hall

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Enjoying the aussie sunshine

Hello everyone, first I just wanted to say thank you for welcoming me to your group and the rides. Davina let me tag along on the Saturday morning ride and what a beautiful ride. It’s all new to me because I’m from the States and I’ve never been to Australia before, let alone Perth!

I’m a professional rider for Team TIBCO but you will see me in my previous team kit, Colavita Forno D’Asolo(#1 USA team 2011) and I’m here for an amazing month of training in preparation for the 2012 season. I live and train mostly in Colorado but I was born and raised in Mississippi. My grandfather played in the NFL and I grew up playing soccer, thinking I would be a professional soccer player but when I didn’t get the offer, I turned to cycling.

I’ve been a professional for 3 years now and this year will be my first full UCI schedule, how exciting!

I’ve already seen the awesome network you all have after my bike issue on Saturday, thank you Dr. Melvyn! I was in need of a bike after Saturday morning’s ride and by Saturday afternoon, I had a loaner.

I look forward to meeting everyone! I may be a bit quiet but I’m sure that’s because I’m trying to make sure I understood you:) Thanks everyone for all the help and patience, see you on the road!

http://laurenthall.blogspot.com/

ride routes 31st dec, 1st jan & 2nd jan 2012

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lennie enjoying "lennie hill road"

the end of 2011 and how fast has it gone.  lots of new faces to the group and we are continuing to grow.  i will probably take some time out later to write a blog on the highlights and lowlights of the year.  a reminisce, or dragging up the past, perhaps.  some of the new faces may not be aware of our humble beginnings so i will also link back to some of the earlier blogs. 

will 2012 be bigger and better???  lets hope so, or even better, lets do something about it to keep the club active and engaging for the members.  got a friend that rides or commutes to work???  send them a link to our website or let them know what we provide for people.  there are thousands of people that ride in perth that have never ridden in a group or have had any contact with a club.  our members are the ones that need to be out there showing others that being part of a club is not just about racing, but rather being part of something that is linked by cycling as our common thread.  safe, organised, inclusive and social.  these are the things that make spr what it is and make people want to ride with us.

spr kit distribution – again at the DOME coffee shop after the saturday ride.  i will have my suitcases all packed, but with your gear.  if you want to organise any other time for collection, send me an email.

DOME discount – toby has organised that if you are wearing the SPR kit that has DOME on the front when you order, you will get a 10% discount.  this is only available at his shop in westralia plaza.

ride routes – overtaking other groups can be a hazardous situation that we all need to be aware about.  last week the transitional group was overtaken by our faster groups on the run back into town.  even though it is the designated fast section, we must also be aware of other road users and act accordingly.  no point just yelling and screaming for people to get out of your way, as they have as much right to be there as you do (i.e. when that car is honking it’s horn at us).  overtake when safe, single file preferably, and don’t cut back in too soon as you might clip a wheel.  there is a chance the groups may end up in this situation again.  be aware of it as well as your actions on the road as remember, this is a training ride, not a race.  lots of riding this long weekend, but seriously, if you don’t hate me after the long hills ride this sunday, you never will.  monday earlybird starts on the south perth side.

saturday 31st december

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 40.72km (mosman park)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.23km (ewen st)

sunday 1st january

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 82.79km (brookton & weir rd)

long – spr sunday 101.29km (roleystone & observatory)

monday 2nd january

ride starts under the narrows (south perth side) at 5:30am

early lap – spr monday 46.74km (south & freo)

ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

main group – spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

spr christmas ride – a pictorial history

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thank you to the club for the new gopro hero cam, but actually, you will be on the receiving end of it most of the time.  here are few pics from today’s dress-up ride.

ride routes 24th, 26th & 27th of christmas

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its beginning to smell a lot like christmas.  actually, take a walk through the mall during the day and you know that christmas is soon upon us.  people everywhere all hopefully getting me a christmas present…well probably not.  we have a lot of opportunities for rides over the next week or so but i guess that whether you can take advantage of it depends on family commitments.  i hope to see you on some of them.  if you can identify the 2 girls in the pic, then you have been riding with us for too long.  if you can identify the cow print guy and the red jersey, then you have probably been there longer than me.

spr christmas ride – time to decorate your bike and dress up in a santa suit, it’s the christmas ride.  normal time and place to start, we will head through the city to spread christmas cheer.  the aim is to either dress festive or decorate your bike in a christmas fashion.  this usually includes things like tinsel, reindeer horns or baubles…but not limited to.  don’t forget that you still need to be able to ride 40-50kms, so dressing up in a box to come as a present, may not be ideal.

spr kit distribution – the kit has arrived.  it will be available for collection at the DOME coffee shop after the saturday ride.  it will also be there at the following saturday as well.  if you cannot make these times, drop me an email and we can organise some other pick up (note: this does not include chirstmas day, so don’t ask)

spr iron horse t-shirts – we still have some of these left.  if you are looking for a stocking filler for christmas (partners that are reading this) then click on the link to the left to order it online.  we can then orgainse collection before the big day.

ride routes – quite a bit to discuss about the ride routes this week.  firstly saturday (fast/main) will take a detour through the city to spread christmas cheer to the masses.  once we hit the hill at the end of the city, it will be on and this will determine the split in the groups.  hopefully we end up with groups around the 20 or so riders.  sunday is christmas, so there are no organised rides, but i am sure that there are people out there with no kids and partners that sleep in, so if you meet under the narrows at 5:30 or at coode st at 7:00 i am sure you will find some friends.  monday earlybird is the normal monday ride starting under the narrows on the south perth side.  this will then meet up with the public holiday ride at coode st at 7:00.  tuesday will be the new sunday.  small chainring earlybird ride as usual, but then the hills ride will follow it.  long and short options available

saturday 24th december

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

development group – spr saturday 35.48km (novice shelley)

transitional – spr saturday 40.86km (rebold hill)

fast & main groups – spr saturday 50.72km (rebold hill & cott)

all main and fast groups will start together.  we will head across the causeway and up through the centre of the city. once we hit malcolm st hill we will naturally form into groups and then join up with the normal ride route.

sunday 25th december

no organised rides

monday 26th december

ride starts under the narrows (south perth side) at 5:30am

early lap – spr monday 46.74km (south & freo)

ride starts at coode st carpark at 7:00am

main group – spr public holiday 59.35km (shelley & freo)

tuesday 27th december

ride starts under the narrows (cityside) at 5:30am

early lap – spr earlybird ride

all rides start at coode st carpark at 7:00am

short – spr sunday 66.71km (greenmount & gooseberry)

long – spr sunday 95.04km (greenmount & parkerville & mundaring weir)

soft tissue occupational therapist – members benefits

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i had a talk the other day to an OT that has been treating some of our members with particular cycling related injuries.  she said that she would like to offer the club a discounted rate for her services in a similar way she aloready does with some other sporting clubs.

so, what does an OT do???

soft tissue treatment assists with all the usual cycling-related ailments, including achilles tendonitis/calf muscle strain, patellofemoral pain/patella tendonitis, ITB syndrome, sciatica, lower back pain, neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome/ulnar nerve compression etc.

so if you have any of these problems and need to see somebody, then we now have a club discount for you.

at Regenerate Health Clinic (inside Next Generation gym, Kings Park), Danae is offering discounted soft tissue treatments to all members. an initial consultation is only $60 (normally $95) and standard consultations are $50 (normally $60). 

treatment rebates can be claimed through private health insurance under occupational therapy. medicare, DVA and worker’s compensation referrals are also accepted. Please phone 9321 6000 or text 0438 445 783 to make an appointment with Danae Beard.  mention that you are with SPR and show her your current membership card when you visit.

 

spr/rccc crit series

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finishes like this make line judging so much easier

our first crit race of the season has been run and won and thanks to the volunteers from both clubs, it ran smoothly.  i have started up a page for the crit series with the results and finishline video from the day.  the videos are all running at 1/4 speed so you can judge for yourself what position you got.

the new page can be accessed from the menu above (under events and results) or though the link here.

spr christmas breakfast

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happy campers

so our 2011 christmas breakfast is over once again.  these events are run to show that our club is not just about riding but also about the relationships you build with other club members.

it is also a time to thanks a few people for their efforts during the year.  a number of awards were given out this year to various members and they included –
  • ride leader of the year – russell lagdon
  • volunteer of the year – gary abdy
  • mountain bike rep of the year  – scott littlefair
  • most improved rider of the year – amanda nabi
  • most improved racer of the year – jen siah
  • club member of the year – michael bonner

also a big thanks to toby and leo at DOME for putting on the breakfast and providing a venue that could actually cater for us now.  the growth of the club has meant that my house in no longer close to big enough to house everyone. 

a thank you also to the club itself for it generous gifts to me and the boys.  i did end up spending most of saturday afternoon building the lego police station, complete with robbers, police dogs and even a police bicycle.  the helmet cam has also come in handy already.  this new version has a slo-mo setting so i used it to capture the finishline video at the crits today.  have a look once i get the post up.

thanks again, for making 2011 another sucessful year for spr, and we can see what more we can do next year.